Review by Choice Review
An impressive encyclopedic treatise by three British experts on the biology and morphology of the diatoms. The first section, a sixth of the book, is a useful summary of the biology, collection, and culturing techniques for this ubiquitous group of organisms, emphasizing only those aspects and characteristics useful to their taxonomy and classification (i.e., the physiology of diatoms is not prominently discussed). The remainder of the text forms the heart of this volume: an atlas of nearly all of the known genera of fossil and living diatoms, including 17 genera new to the literature. Each genus is presented with nomenclatural literature citations, type species and number of species known, detailed descriptions of morphology and habitat, and elegant light and scanning electron microscopy photomicrographs. Appendixes include the extensive list of new taxa, from class to genus, proposed by the authors; a list of recently described genera described by other authors, which could not be summarized in the atlas; and an inclusive list of the generic names of diatoms, with nomenclatural references and type species. This outstanding volume, the first to summarize the genera of diatoms in morethan 60 years, will be worth its weight in gold to professionals and graduate students working with the various aspects of diatom biology and ecology. Highly recommended for all undergraduate and graduate libraries; it will become a valuable reference for a wide range of scholars and technicians. -C. W. Schneider, Trinity College (CT)
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
